🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter – 15
But… no matter how you look at it, isn’t this a bit too much?
“An illegitimate child? You’re joking, right?”
“No, it’s true. Just look at that cute face—clearly takes after me.”
“…You’ve finally lost the last shred of your conscience.”
“I can hear you, Hudson.”
“Oh, really? Please pretend you didn’t.”
Sigh.
Hudson let out a deep sigh and trudged back to his seat.
“This damned job… I should’ve quit ages ago.”
“I said I can hear you, Hudson.”
“And I said please pretend you didn’t, Your Grace.”
Grumbling gloomily, Hudson pressed a hand to his throbbing stomach and shut his eyes.
“To be honest, I thought you went to Bramschua to slack off. The ‘undercover investigation’ excuse was unbelievable from the start. But you actually went to find your daughter?”
“No, I really was slacking.”
“I knew it! I knew it was just slacking off! Then who on earth is that—?!”
Hudson, who had sprung up and was passionately ranting, suddenly froze mid-movement.
Hold on… come to think of it…
His Grace has an illegitimate child?
That can’t be right.
No, that’s absolutely impossible. Anyone else, maybe—but this Duke having a secret child?
Because the only woman he’s ever—
“Lady Ravella is the only one you’ve ever—”
“I told you I could hear you, Hudson.”
“—Hrk.”
Muttering blankly to himself, Hudson hurriedly clamped his mouth shut.
Seeing his obvious attempt to save himself, Contié chuckled and leaned back against the sofa.
“Hudson, in this world, the truth isn’t what matters most.”
“…Then what does matter?”
“Belief. The ability to hear me say something and respond with, ‘Ah, I see,’ even if it makes no sense.”
Hudson let out an impressed, “Ahh, I see.”
“…Right. So why did you bring her?”
“You pretend to be scared, but you still ask everything you want, huh?”
Tch.
Contié clicked his tongue and shrugged.
“No real reason. I just thought… having a daughter might be nice.”
“Ah. I see, that makes sense.”
“You accept that surprisingly easily?”
“Yes. Because that is the kind of reasoning you would have. If you’d given me a logical explanation, that would’ve shocked me more.”
“Haha, keep talking like that and you won’t live long.”
“…Was that a threat?”
“To a degree?”
Hudson smiled faintly, unfazed.
“Is there anything I should know about the young lady—any precautions about Your Grace’s daughter?”
Swift adaptability was Hudson’s specialty and pride.
Contié looked mildly amused, but the smile faded.
“She has a power.”
“Oh, she has a pow— wait. A Power?”
Hudson, who had been replying casually, jerked in shock.
Did I mishear just now?
“Yes, a Power.”
Oh no, I heard it correctly.
And that was the real problem.
If she had a Power, then—
“The young lady is… from another ducal bloodline? Don’t tell me you’ve— kidnapped another duke’s child—”
“You really do see me as trash sometimes, don’t you?”
“…No comment.”
He was definitely going to die young.
Accepting his fate, Hudson continued.
“Then what is it? If you didn’t steal someone else’s heir, none of this makes sense…”
“She has a completely new type of Power. One that has never existed before.”
Today was a day full of ear-shocking information, it seemed.
Hudson was utterly bewildered.
Everything about this conversation was insane.
A new type of Power?
He had never even heard of such a thing.
Could such a thing even exist?
“…You’re lying.”
“It’s the truth. And that’s one of the reasons that child must become my blood.”
There was no further explanation, but Hudson understood exactly what he meant.
“You’re concerned about the Imperial Family.”
“Snakes rotting with inferiority often do dog-like things.”
Wow. He slanders the Imperial Family like he breathes.
But Hudson couldn’t disagree.
The Imperial Family inherited dragon blood, yet possessed no Powers.
Not that the Imperial Family was like ordinary humans—far from it.
Their five senses were far superior, their physical strength unmatched.
They had incredible mana sensitivity and extraordinary regenerative ability.
And if legend-like history was to be believed, once in a while a child was born who inherited the so-called “Power of the Dragon”—but…
No such case has ever actually occurred.
They were well beyond human limits, yet the Imperial Family was still not satisfied.
What they coveted was something more extraordinary.
Something like a Power.
Thus, the Empire displayed the three Ducal families’ Powers as the nation’s pride… while secretly resenting and envying them.
Their way of empowering the Temple and clearly suppressing the three houses was just another extension of their ugly jealousy.
And now, in such a situation, a child appears with a completely new kind of Power?
A child with no known parents, who used to be an orphan?
The Imperial Family will lose their minds.
They’d want to erase her quietly.
But if people believed the girl carried the blood of House Panteibe—
“They’ll delude themselves and shut up. ‘She’s a Panteibe child.’ Even the Imperial Family wouldn’t dare touch the Panteibe Duke’s daughter.”
Not unless they wanted him as an enemy.
Hudson swallowed dryly at the chilling, sinister murmur.
This was…
He’s far more serious about this than I thought.
For someone who normally didn’t care about anything in the world, the fact that he was considering the dangers the child could face… meant he truly liked the girl.
At this rate, no matter what anyone says, she’s going to become the Panteibe young lady.
Hudson quickly concluded and began thinking.
Let’s see… what would a four-year-old noble young lady need…?
